IOWA CITY, Iowa — Caitlin Clark faced her final home-court matchup on Monday, ending four years of domination at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
The top-seeded Hawkeyes played the 8-seed West Virginia Mountaineers at 7 p.m. CT in the second round of the 2024 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament.
The first fan in line, Connie Nicholls, told Local 5 she's excited to see her Hawkeyes face off for another chance at the Sweet Sixteen.
"I love how they work together, they connect. They can look away and the other ones know exactly what's going on," Nicholls said. "And it's kind of like senior day today, too, so it's going to be a happy day and it's going to be a sad day."
"Describing Carver-Hawkeye Arena, let me tell you. It's easy to do, but hard to explain because, you see, it's packed," Iowa student Emily Hersh said. "It's loud, just, the decibel's over 100 all the time."
Fans at the arena boasted about the ambiance the Hawkeyes bring to the court, with some citing Clark as a major factor in the electricity.
"She makes that logo three, everyone is just cheering and screaming out there at the top of their lungs," Bailey Lux told Local 5. "It's just a crazy environment, and it's a good environment to be in."
"Let's be honest, I mean, a year ago, two years ago, we weren't watching women's basketball," Lisa Berger added. "I don't miss a game now."
Clark's late February decision to enter the 2024 WNBA Draft made Monday's match the final say game in Iowa City.
The West Des Moines, Iowa native and fourth-year senior could have continued her role as a superstar shooter at the University of Iowa for a fifth year due to the NCAA's COVID-19 eligibility rules, but she opted to join the professional sports world instead.
"While this season is far from over and we have a lot more goals to achieve, it will be my last one at Iowa," she announced on social media. "I am excited to be entering the 2024 WNBA Draft."
The Indiana Fever hold the first pick during the April 15 draft, which has been moved to a larger venue to accommodate more fans.
If Clark were to be drafted by the Fever, she would become teammates with former South Carolina forward Aliyah Boston. The pair played each other in the 2023 Final Four, with Iowa winning 77-73 over the previously unbeaten Gamecocks.
Clark made history countless times as a Hawkeye, eclipsing Pete Maravich's record for all-time scoring in NCAA basketball history, passing Lynette Woodard to become the all-time leading scorer in major college women's basketball history on Feb. 28, and before those, surpassing Kelsey Plum for No. 1 on the all-time NCAA women's basketball scoring charts.
She's taken home countless honors, including an ESPY for best women's college athlete, the title of Naismith's Women's Player of the Year, 1st-team All-American honors and AP Player of the Week.
Just last month, the Iowa House of Representatives named Feb. 22 "Caitlin Clark Day", honoring her jersey number: 22.
It's a numeral now etched onto the Carver-Hawkeye Arena court — and on Nike shirts referencing her record-shattering tendencies that read: "You break it, you own it". As the face of brands like Hy-Vee, State Farm and Nike thanks to NIL deals, Clark's talent and perseverance has found a place beyond Iowa's borders.
With Clark on the squad, the Hawkeyes have won three straight Big Ten Tournament titles and played for the 2023 NCAA Women's Basketball Championship crown against LSU, ultimately falling to the Tigers 102-85.
Clark is averaging 31.8 points, 8.9 assists and 7.3 rebounds per game this season.